Saturday, October 13, 2018

The C-43 (and another project in the works called the C-44) are two more tools in the toolbox to fix a problem: Reducing or eliminating flows from Lake Okeechobee by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers west into the Caloosahatachee River and east into the St. Lucie River.

Learn more about the C-43 reservoir below, a project to the west in Hendry County. Now to a reminder. . .

For everyone who thinks that constructing a new $1.5B reservoir in Palm Beach County is a higher priority than fortifying the Herbert Hoover Dike that keeps Lake Okeechobee in check:

The nightmare scenario south of Lake Okeechobee: the Herbert Hoover Dike failing.

Few want to even think about this possibility just because it is so horrifying. Critics in northern PBC and in Martin County using that old tired mantra ‘Send Water South’ want another reservoir constructed south of the lake to store water in emergencies. This is called the “Shoulda Coulda Woulda” scenario.

But there are cities and communities south of the lake too. And any future reservoir capable of storing so much water is far off from being operational (at minimum a decade) and will cost at a minimum $1 to 1.5B — that’s ‘B’ as in billion — and that’s just an educated guess. To read about the “nightmare scenario” and more information click on this link.

What follows is a blog post from yesterday, news about another reservoir here in South Florida, a project the press and news media should be educating and informing the public about.

A project that will actually work.

How much do you know about the C-43 water storage reservoir?

And why projects like this and others will make another reservoir in Palm Beach County completely unnecessary and a waste of public money.

The C-43 is just another in a line of projects first proposed many years ago that are finally coming to fruition that will provide relief in times of a water crisis like what happened this year and in 2016 as well. Some are projects that had to be shelved after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when all dams, reservoirs, levees and water control structures needed to be inspected, brought up to modern standards, and new and future projects facing much stricter planning, more robust and stable methods of construction.

Along with all the projects north of Lake Okeechobee to store more water, deep injection wells, the fortifying of the Herbert Hoover Dike and pledges by those in Washington, D.C. to provide the funding and reduce the constraints in the system that stop water from moving south, well, there will be no need for that massive $1.5B reservoir in Palm Beach County that will need an additional $100M+ in maintenance every year as well.

All those who support another reservoir in PBC are hoping for other reasons as well. They are hoping the federal government will help pay for it, the so-called 50/50 split. Who will pay for the maintenance every year? No one knows.

From page 111 of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) agenda at the monthly meeting of the Governing Board held yesterday (Oct. 11th) is this information from “Resolution No. 2018-1017”:

District [SFWMD] desires to award a construction contract for the C-43 Reservoir; an earthfill
dam with total perimeter length of approximately 16.3 miles and a separator dam of 2.8 miles in length
separating the reservoir into two cells. The Reservoir will encompass approximately 10,000 acres and will store
170,000 acre-feet of water when full . . . This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 11th day of October, 2018.

The C-43 reservoir will be located in the “Lower West Coast” region.

Click on image to enlarge:

Question: How many of you reading this have ever heard about the C-44 reservoir in the press and news media? But more about that at a later time.

Learn more about the C-43 Reservoir project below. Unlike a reservoir proposed for Palm Beach County that may happen in a decade or so — might solve the problems such as blue-green algae in the St. Lucie River and estuary and a project some people hope will work — the C-43 reservoir is a project actually moving forward. See the memorandum below from the SFWMD meeting yesterday.

And please take note!

The message has changed. No more “bumper sticker” solutions to serious problems. The mantra ‘Send Water South’ has been replaced by words that actually mean something:

“Send Money South!”

A message that means send the funding south from Washington, D.C., addressing the bureaucratic constraints, and complete projects and fund others in the planning phase that will successfully move more water from north of Lake Okeechobee to the south and serve all sixteen counties and the waters that will then flow into tide at Florida Bay at the southern end of Everglades National Park.

Without further ado . . . to the memorandum from last Thursday’s meeting of the SFWMD Governing Board:

Date: October 11, 2018Subject: C-43 Reservoir Package 4 Civil Works Prequalified Short-List ApprovalAgenda Item Background:As part of CERP [Central Everglades Restoration Plan], the Caloosahatchee (C-43) West Basin Storage Reservoir, located in Hendry
County, will store 170,000 acre-feet of water when full. The District issued a 2-part solicitation
to identify contractors qualified to construct the dam and specific major features of work. The
first part of the solicitation requested statements of qualifications and bonding capacity. The
District reviewed the qualifications submitted to determine whether the Respondents are
responsive and responsible by verification of references from representative projects to confirm
they have the minimum qualifications and experience as requested in this Solicitation. Upon
completion of the contract specifications and drawings, short-listed firms will receive a request
from the District to submit a price in the second step of this two-step solicitation process.

Funding Source:The project will be funded through Save Our Everglades and Land Acquisition Trust Funds and
is eligible for cost crediting by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the Project Partnership
Agreement.

End of memorandum.

To learn more about the South Florida Water Management District and the other four (4) water management districts in Florida click on this link.

And remember, the mantra “Send Water South” has been replaced by “Send Money South!” from Washington, D.C. to fund projects already in progress and other projects that are actually in the planning phase.

The editor(s) at The Palm Beach Post have acknowledged that region called “suburban Lake Worth”.

And also below is news about another big development as well.

The upcoming 17th Annual Dollars for Scholars Golf Tournament
benefiting Lake Worth High School will be held exactly two week from today: On Saturday, October 27th. More information, e.g., how to get tickets and directions to this event are later in this blog post.

Also below is very important information for those of you who missed that huge policy change at the Post — a ‘paper of record’ based here in Central Palm Beach County (CPBC) — the formal recognition from the editor(s) acknowledging that area outside the municipal limits of the City of Lake Worth as “suburban Lake Worth”. It took a very long time. But it finally happened on the editorial page. Read more about that below.

However, it should be noted that many reporters are very diligent when reporting about incidents in the City of Lake Worth
and indicating clearly those that have occurred outside the City limits in suburban (unincorporated) Lake Worth. For example, there are reporters Olivia Hitchcock, Julius Whigham, Alexandra Seltzer, Jorge Milian, Chelsea Todaro, R.E. Denty et al. that do a very good job informing the public. And many of you will recall this blog post, “About an incident in ‘suburban Lake Worth’ by reporter Meryl Kornfield.”

It’s ironic that in the past, for many decades this City was just ‘good ole Lake Worth’ to so many old-timers, reporters, satirists, and editors at the Post who poked fun at this town and reporting false news about the crime rate too. Now, for example, when you read the Real Estate section in the Post every new community outside this City and others trying to rebrand their image want to be “in Lake Worth”.

Lake Worth Commissioner Scott Maxwell said last March prior to the municipal elections,

“Thirty years ago when I came to Palm Beach County and needed a place to live the first three things people told me was:
‘Don’t go to Lake Worth. Stay away from Lake Worth. Avoid Lake Worth like the plague.’
I didn’t take their advice. I’m glad I didn’t take their advice.”

You see, once people were told to avoid this City like the plague. Now everyone wants to get in.

Before we proceed you will be interested to know that below is information about the upcoming Dollars for Scholars annual event benefiting Lake Worth High, also information about golf courses, Australian pines, and also find out how to contact an agent for Palm Beach County’s Environmental Horticulture Dept. if you have any questions about plants and trees.

Whew! This blog post must be a very long one. Actually no. It’s a pretty quick read.

So you must be wondering, when did the editor(s) at the Post finally officially acknowledge the existence of suburban Lake Worth, that area west of our City of Lake Worth? It finally happened two months ago, August 9th, 2018 in the Sunday print edition on p. A9 under the banner, “Opinion: The Debate Starts Here”. An excerpt from the opinion headlined, “Workforce housing a bad fit for Fountains”:

A development of this type will impact not only the residents of The Fountains (and they will surely bear the brunt of this planned housing) but all the surrounding property owners. There are several “over-55” communities within this area of suburban Lake Worth [see image below], The Fountains being one of the finest.

The Fountains is located south of Lake Worth Rd. and east of the Florida Turnpike (note the north-south roadway with interchange).

Click on image to enlarge:

Nearby, west of the Turnpike, is the location where Barbie the little horse was viciously slaughtered by a roaming pack of coyotes. At the end of this blog post is a map of coastal Central Palm Beach County where the actual City of Lake Worth is located. To date, no coyotes have been reported in the City.

Other than the occasional news reports about coyotes and other mayhem it’s not very exciting out in suburban Lake Worth communities but they do have some special amenities for the ‘over-55’ set at The Fountains. For example, they have not one, not two, but three (3) private golf courses. The little coastal City of Lake Worth has a municipal public golf course as well. For example, Wellington-based golf writer Mike May reported:

I am the correspondent who wrote the story about the Lake Worth Golf Club which appears on the wall in City Hall.

and. . .

While golfers in Palm Beach County, Florida have access to a number of well-known, nicely manicured layouts such as Emerald Dunes, Madison Green, Osprey Point, and PGA National, one of the forgotten “gems” is actually one of the oldest golf courses in the area — Lake Worth Municipal Golf Club.

About the private golf courses at The Fountains,

“It’s an old-Florida-style course with a lot of tall Australian pines [emphasis added] . . . There are a lot of long par 4s on the North Course, but there’s not much water or forced carryovers.”

Whilst on the topic of invasive non-native Australian pine, “Because of its aggressive growth rate, never plant Australian pine trees. . . . Possession of Australian pine with the intent to sell or plant is illegal in Florida without a special permit.”

If you would like more information about horticulture, and about the Australian pine specifically in Palm Beach County, contact Laurie Albrecht, an Environmental Horticulture Extension Agent by clicking on this link, call 561-233-1748 or send an email to: lalbrecht@pbcgov.org

And lastly, on the topic of golf courses and “suburban Lake Worth” is news about the upcoming 17th Annual Dollars for Scholars Golf Tournament benefiting Lake Worth High School at Palm Beach National Golf Club on October 27th. The address for this golf club is 7500 St. Andrews Rd. in suburban Lake Worth.

To learn more about this Dollars for Scholars event and about the question “Was Commissioner Scott Maxwell a visionary, ahead of his time back in 2012?”, click on this link.

And who knows, maybe next year’s 18th annual Dollars for Scholars event will actually be held in this City of Lake Worth! Here is information for the organizers of that annual benefit for Lake Worth High School, a public school that is actually located in this City:

Thank You for visiting today and a special thanks to the editor(s) at The Palm Beach Post for finally officially acknowledging that place west of our City of Lake Worth called suburban Lake Worth. After reading this and you are interested in learning more about this little City here is a short video (please note: the “over-55” set is well represented):

And as promised. . .

Map of the coastal regionin Central Palm Beach County:

A little perspective. On a good day it’s about a 25–30 minute drive from the Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course to The Fountains. And then another 25–30 minute drive back. For tee times at the Lake Worth Golf Club in the City of Lake Worth call 561-582-9713.

Remember back over the Summer when some tried to stir up all kinds of trouble about tattoo parlors?

Three months ago the biggest and top business news about the City of Lake Worth was not about tattoo parlors. Not even close. Whilst that tail was getting wagged in the L-Dub the movers and shakers and consumers of business news were reading real estate journals like The Real Deal.

Below is business news in South Florida, newsabout a sometimes mythical place calledthe “Park of Commerce”.

How big was that news? From one business news source about that place west of I-95 off Boutwell Rd.? Very big. Read the news below from The Real Deal, one of the top sources for business news in South Florida. By the way, when The Palm Beach Post ignores this business news you know it’s big.

Whether or not another tattoo parlor opens up Downtown is very good news for the press, TV news, ‘kicks’ and social media clicks. But in only a few days it was on to the next ‘shiny object’. Yes, later on there was some grandstanding at a City board and then at a City Commission too but the press and media by then had moved on. Tattoo parlors were an old, tired story.

What happens in the City’s POC will impact this City for decades to come. What happens in the POC may very well lower your millage rate. Some day a company supplying tattoo parlors with equipment and ink could open up in the POC and then no one will care a whit any longer how many tattoo parlors this City has. How many employees does the typical tattoo parlor employ?

For those of you who missed this news. . .

From The Real Deal, “South Florida Real Estate News”:

Headline: “Game manufacturer buys Lake Worth building for Florida HQ”

Three excerpts from this news story:

Benchmark Games International just purchased its new Florida headquarters in Lake Worth for $8.25 million, only a few months after the seller paid $5.35 million for the property. A company managed by real estate developer and aircraft industry investor Robert G. Fessler sold the 72,000-square-foot warehouse at 2201 Fourth Avenue North for about $115 per square foot.

and. . .

Benchmark Games manufactures and exports coin-operated gaming machines and ticket dispensers around the world. In April 2017, the Belgian skill crane manufacturer, Elaut, bought the company. Benchmark Games will be moving from its 55,680-square-foot location at 51 Hypoluxo Road.

final paragraph. . .

Palm Beach County’s industrial market is less active than in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, but still recording big deals in Lake Worth. [emphasis added] Last year, the Silverman Group paid $30.7 million for two industrial buildings in the city.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Lake Worth property as the company’s new headquarters. It will be the new regional headquarters.

Friday, October 12, 2018

So how much has changed since the editor(s) at the Post hammered the elected leadership in West Palm Beach? Not much it would appear. Like most editorials in the Post after two or three days no one remembers what they wrote anyhow.

Do you recall the public meeting held in May 2017 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center about the traffic situation in West Palm? Learn more about that meeting below, the attendees and a list of videos.

Many of you reading this blog post today will find the following excerpt interesting:

The May 22 [2017] meeting was called by West Palm Beach City Commissioner Shannon Materio, Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio and Palm Beach County Commissioner Mack Bernard. Conspicuously absent was West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, who called the gathering “a distraction.”—Excerpt from Post editorial headlined, “To fix Okeechobee Blvd, leaders must pull in same direction” datelined May 31st, 2017; published one year, three months and nineteen days ago.

From May 2017 on this blog, “Public Discussion about Our Traffic”, held in West Palm Beach.

Below is the list of speakers andlinks to videos as well.

From the program:

“How did we get here? Traffic congestion used to be a topic of discussion when talking about Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, but West Palm Beach? This panel discussion will help us understand the contributing factors that got us where we are today, and if we do nothing, will we become one big megatropolis from West Palm Beach to Miami.”

and. . .

“We were reminded again by former West Palm Beach Mayor Graham [1991–1999] that a vision had been in place when she was in office — she thinks that has since been lost — the city she thought needs a vision so developers and city officials don’t make decisions ‘willy nilly’.”

To watch the other videos from this event:

“In a Town Hall format, attendees were given various means
of participating in the discussion, by using their smart phones,
stepping-up to the mic, or simply writing a question on a comment
card.” For segment #5 use this link.

Hope you found this blog post informative. And, as always, Thank You for visiting today.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Below is more information about the Tree Board and information oft-posted on this blog: “Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma” last year.

Whilst on the topic of trees and power lines:

Public education and getting ready fornext “monster storm”.

Two short quotes. . .

“We have a lot of trees here,” said Lauren Nash, a
meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, a city
that has half of its land mass covered by canopy. “In terms of those
trees, 100 mph can very easily uproot, break, snap, take down trees.
Even healthy trees, that [wind] can knock them down.” [emphasis added]

from last year. . .“It appeared to me that most of the damage during the recent storm [Hurricane Irma] was done by falling trees and tree branches. But with few exceptions, palms were not the problem. Hardwood trees were.”

—Excerpt from letter to editor(s) published in Palm Beach Post, Sept. 23rd, 2017 by Mr. Jack Lippman of Boynton Beach sourced in blog post titled, “Lessons learned: About predictions, frequency and strength of hurricanes every year.”

If the topic of storms, trees and power lines is a major concern of yours consider becoming a volunteer for the City of Lake Worth’s Tree Board:

and. . .

Meeting schedule: Second Thursday of each month at 5:30, City Hall Conference Room. The staff liaison is David McGrew, the City’s Horticulturist: 561-586-1677; email: dmcgrew@lakeworth.org

What follows is more information from a blog post titled, “Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma” posted shortly after that massive storm last year and also below is more very timely information on the topic of trees, power lines, mobile homes and shipping containers too.

A lot of people think shipping containers are a safe place during major storms and hurricanes. Not true.

Find the right tree.“Before
selecting your tree, make sure you know how tall, wide and deep it will
be at maturity, and whether it’s a problem tree.”

Choose the right spot.“At maturity, will your trees’ canopy reach the overhead lines?”

Work safely.“Whether you’re planting
a tree, preparing your property for storm season or picking fruit,
remember to stay safe and stay far away from power lines at all times.”

Without further ado: Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma.

Preparing for the next hurricane or majorstorm in the City of Lake Worth and elsewherein Central PBC.

Some of the big issues post-Hurricane Irma were trees too close to power lines on private property, vegetation (overgrowth), mobile homes, and other unsafe structures such as shipping containers. All of these issues need to be looked at thoroughly in the wake of Irma.

Below are excerpts from two articles in The Palm Beach Post, one by reporters Julius Whigham II and Sarah Peters and the other by Jane Musgrave.

Power
remains out for roughly 500,000 county residents and another 3 million
customers in Florida Power & Light’s 35-county coverage area. With
some traffic lights still out at some intersections, electric lines
down and some roads blocked by downed trees, [emphasis added] county officials ordered a
curfew from dawn to dusk.

and. . .

Likewise,
tree limbs homeowners are dragging to the street won’t disappear
anytime soon. Trucks operated by haulers who are expected to flood in
from out of state have to be certified to collect the debris, said
Willie Puz, a spokesman for the county’s Solid Waste Authority. Trucks
will begin picking up yard waste on Thursday but it could take weeks
before the mountains of vegetation disappears, he said. This past year’s
near hit by Hurricane Matthew generated a whopping 95,000 cubic yards
of garbage and yard trash — an amount likely to be far eclipsed by Irma,
he said.

On the issue of mobile homes, a lot of people were and are surprised to learn how many mobile home units there are in the City of Lake Worth. However, mobile home communities are a relic of the past and one by one are replaced by housing built to the current and updated building codes.

At
the Long Lake Village Mobile Home Park in suburban West Palm Beach,
several homes were boarded up. Marty Jackson, one of its residents, said
he is planning to stay with his daughter at her Boynton Beach condo. “You
pretty much have to (evacuate) living in a mobile home,” he said. “I
did stay one year and I said, ‘Hmm. After that I’ll leave.’ If you
listen to all the hype, it’s going to be bad, but I’ve been here all my
life and came through every one that came through.” At The
Meadows in Palm Beach Gardens, a young man was debating whether to ride
out the hurricane in a mobile home he renovated and moved into in
December. The home is on a lake, which was mostly drained, but close to
the Intracoastal Waterway, he said. His other option is a friend’s house
in Jupiter. He decided to forgo shutters or plywood because Home
Depot was out of stock, and he figured that would do little to protect
the house, especially if the hurricane takes the roof off.

Lastly, on the issue of shipping containers. . .

“Perhaps this could be
replicated here in Lake Worth? Let people live in shipping containers?”

Before you get all excited check the zoning code first before diving ahead. More likely than not this type of structure is prohibited where you live. For instance, you couldn't build this in Lake Worth or most other cities in the County.

No one is going to get approval to live in a shipping container here in a coastal city in Palm Beach County, especially after Hurricane Irma.

Now back to that tabloid clipping above.

That former tabloid first appeared in January 2015 with the headline, “Gallery Owner Pitches ‘Art Ship’ for Lake Worth’s Waterfront”. The tabloid ultimately failed from lack of advertising and community support.

The exclamation mark (!) was a quitefrequent punctuation tool.

Downtown littering became a big problem throughout the City following this tabloid’s release, given away FREE and delivered FREE to select neighborhoods with what are called “supervoters” (those who vote in every election). Also interesting, the tabloid stopped publishing shortly after the March elections that year.

Several archival collections remain of this tabloid — separate from and not to be confused with The Lake Worth Herald — the City’s oldest business, “Established in 1912”.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

What happens at this meeting will be very big news next week and for many weeks and months to follow. In the foreseeable future the topics being addressed will most certainly affect every single person, County and local governments, and the business community here in Palm Beach County.

Where is this regional meeting being held? What time does it start? Who will be representing you? Find out all that information below. But first. . .

Thursday: Tree Board meets in City Hall conference room. Meeting begins at 5:30. As yet, no agenda is available.

Take note: Snowbird Season will soon be upon us.

Note as the 2018–2019 Fall/Winter Snowbird Season begins we’ll be seeing familiar faces once again at City Hall from past Seasons. They’ll be lining up at the podium during Public Comment telling everyone about the “Welcome Home” parties hosted by the good folks from the Residences of Lake Osborne west of I-95.

However, the happiest Snowbirds nest east of I-95 where most of the action, festivities, and activities occur. To learn more about the Neighborhood Assoc. Presidents’ Council click on this link. The NAPC is on Facebook as well and to see the location and borders of each of the sixteen neighborhoods use this link for the GIS map.

The advance Snowbird patrols are already here scouting out the City. So when can we expect the full flock?

You can just smell it in the air, the annual migration of mirthful and glorious Snowbirds on the way back to Central Palm Beach County escaping the cold in the northeast and Canada. In a letter to the editor(s) published in The Palm Beach Postone such Snowbird wrote,

If the snowbirds did not fly south each winter, and if businesses didn’t have this income, your favorite place would not survive on your patronage. It’s the “snowbird effect” that keeps Florida going. [emphasis added] Appreciate that when we are gone, you have a chance to enjoy what a lot of us snowbirds contribute to and keep going — all year long.

Now to a question oft-posed on this blog:

“How lucky do you feel?”

A question especially for all those in Palm Beach County who live and have businesses south of Lake Okeechobee and the Herbert Hoover Dike.

To the big policy question this year (pick one)

“Send The Water South!” from Lake Okeechobee, constructing a new reservoir south of the Herbert Hoover Dike at a cost of $1B (± using government projections) and will take up to a decade to complete. . .

or

Have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finish fortifying the Herbert Hoover Dike and the South Florida Water Management District complete projects already in the works — and others in the planning stage — in the Northern Everglades to store more water?

What’s the answer? It sort of depends on how lucky you feel (see newspaper clipping below).

“About a half a dozen chunks 40 × 30 feet were cut out every couple of hundred feet.”How lucky do you feel? Scroll back up and look at the two choices once again.

More information:

“Even without Lake Okeechobee discharges, blue-green algae blooms in the
St. Lucie River are a ‘distinct possibility,’ a marine biologist said
Monday.”—News datelined May 21st in TCPalm.

Septic tanks and human waste leaking into the St. Lucie River and other waterways that then flow into the Indian River Lagoon fouling the inaptly-named ‘Treasure Coast’ shouldn’t be happening in 21st Century America. But it is happening.

Questions: Do you think the South Florida Water Management District is responsible for managing algae blooms? Wrong. SFWMD samples the water. Does blue-green algae cause neurodegenerative disease? No connection has been found.

Will another reservoir ever be constructed? Will another reservoir even work? A supporter of constructing a massive reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, also a former Lake Worth commissioner with a PhD, has very strong doubts.

The City of Lake Worthneeds a name change.

Name this City “Lake Worth City” or “Lake Worth Beach”? Or be bold and change the name to “Jewell”?

Is this a new idea, changing the City’s name? No. This was a serious matter of debate first brought up by Commissioner Scott Maxwell back in 2012. Continue reading to learn more about that.

A case example.

Recently in ThePalm Beach Post in the ‘LOCAL’ section was a heartbreaking story about a family losing their home and pet in a house fire. The dateline reads, “LAKE WORTH”. However, this incident took place off Lantana Rd. just east of the Florida Turnpike, to the south and east of the Village of Wellington and west of the City of Greenacres too. But it has a ‘Lake Worth’ zip code. No connection to the actual City of Lake Worth.

The location for that news story in the Post, publishedin the LOCAL section, is shown in this map.

Click on map to enlarge:

Note at bottom of map (south) is Lantana Rd.and the Florida Turnpike in zip code 33467.The actual City of Lake Worth has two zip codes: 33460 and a portion of 33461.

Another recent example.

Not far from that tragic house fire reported in the Post is more ‘news’ about a future housing development “west of Lake Worth” (see Tweet below). This location is also west of Greenacres and east of Wellington. But the Post reports this future site for development is ‘west of Lake Worth’?

Really? Why not report it as “east of Wellington”?

However, in the ‘LOCAL’ news about that house fire is a monumental change by the editor(s) at the Post in citing this incident occurred in “suburban Lake Worth”. But ultimately, until the City of Lake Worth takes a big step forward in branding itself (e.g., “Wayfinding”) there will continue to be confusion about exactly where this City is located in Central Palm Beach County.

Now back to the “City of Lake Worth”changing its name.

If the City of Lake Worth did begin the process to change the City’s name that would immediately become news all over the U.S. and abroad as well.

What names for this City do you think are real good or really bad? “New Lake Worth”? “Lake Worth City”? Make it officially “City of Lake Worth”? Or make it “Jewel” or “Jewell”? About the history of this City circa 1890, information from Wikipedia:

“The initial name for the post office [future Town of Lake Worth, est. 1913] was Jewell (sometimes spelled Jewel). Fannie James was the first postmaster.”*

Here’s another example, the Lake Worth Dollars for Scholars Golf Tournament is coming up at the Palm Beach National Golf Club, “Join us for golf, food and drinks, a raffle and a silent auction, a ball drop, and tons of fun!”

Question. Do you know where the Palm Beach National Golf Club is located? Hint: It has a ‘Lake Worth’ mailing address. Continue reading to learn more about this annual event.

Remember Post reporter Willy Howard?

He sat down with Maxwell to talk about changing the name of our City and the reasons why back in 2012. Read an excerpt from that news below.

Historic sign at the Lake Worth Auditorium,which is now Lake Worth City Hall. Tourists and visitors saw this sign back in the day when driving south on Dixie Hwy. (U.S. 1).

The idea of changing the name of Lake Worth, the actual City of Lake Worth, comes up from time to time. Interest seems to spike after a sensational or gripping news story ‘in Lake Worth’ that isn’t in the City of Lake Worth. There’s the always-stuff-happening at the Palm Beach State College “Lake Worth” campus that isn’t in Lake Worth — the college is located in unincorporated Palm Beach County, or called, “suburban Lake Worth”. Garlic Fest isn’t held “in Lake Worth” either.

John Prince Park is not in Lake Worth. Neither is the South Florida National Cemetery, the Lake Worth Tax Office, or the Lake Worth Swap Shop. And, no, there is no such thing as “western Lake Worth” when referring to anything outside the City. That false and misleading geographic designation is resurrected now and then from our friends in the press and news media.

The upcoming 17th Annual Dollars for Scholars Golf Tournament benefiting Lake Worth High School is at Palm Beach National Golf Club on October 27th. The mailing address for that golf club is 7500 St. Andrews Rd., Lake Worth. However, the zip code for that location is 33467. By car about a 20–25 minute drive from Lake Worth High and well outside the City’s municipal limits. If you plan on attending this Dollars for Scholars golf tournament click on this link. Please factor in the driving time so as not to be late.

The Palm Beach National Golf Club is located between the City of Greenacres and the Village of Wellington. For golfers on the course they “deliver frozen popsicles to help combat the Florida heat”.

No. For example, the city of Hollywood debated changing their name to something like “Hollywood by the Sea” in 2016–2017 but the elected leadership ended up backing off according to reporter Michael Mayo at the Sun Sentinel. And note that before the “Beach” was added there used to be cities called Dania, Deerfield, Boynton, and Pompano. But more about all this a little later.

Back in April of 2016 I was part of a conversation and debate about changing the name of Lake Worth and learned there were other discussions, albeit quietly, about bringing this up again. Who was it that made the last major push to do this? Below is an excerpt from a Willy Howard article in 2012:

“Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell is suggesting changing the city’s name to Lake Worth Beach to help distinguish Lake Worth from parts of unincorporated Palm Beach County that have Lake Worth mailing addresses. According to postal officials, places as far west as Wellington can use Lake Worth mailing addresses. [emphasis added] In a memo to the commission about the name change, Maxwell notes that crimes committed west of the city in unincorporated parts of Palm Beach County are sometimes reported by the media as happening in Lake Worth. Residents with Lake Worth mailing addresses who live west of the city mistakenly come to city hall seeking solutions to their problems. Maxwell said Lake Worth is distinctive, with its walkable downtown and beach, and that the new name would create an ‘instantly recognizable brand for the city.’ With the 100-year anniversary of the city next year and the opening of the renovated beach site and casino scheduled for this fall, he said, this is a good time to change the city’s name. ‘The timing is just about right,’ Maxwell said. ‘It kind of gives us a renewed since of pride for the next 100 years.’ ”

“What if Hollywood ditched the name it’s had since 1925 and changed it to Hollywood By The Sea?‘I think it’s catchier than just plain old Hollywood,’ said Commissioner Patty Asseff, who has already pitched the idea to the city’s marketing firm and plans to bring it up at a commission meeting in May [2016].”

More helpful information from reporter Susannah Bryan:

“South Florida cities have a long, proud tradition of tacking bodies of water onto the end of their names so dim-witted[please note, not my words!] tourists will be reminded that, yes, there are beaches in South Florida. Some examples:1939: Deerfield becomes Deerfield Beach1941: Boynton becomes Boynton Beach1947: Pompano becomes Pompano Beach1998: Dania becomes Dania Beach2005: Cutler Ridge becomes Cutler Bay2016?”

If this City of Lake Worth became “Lake Worth Beach” or some other name change that would go a long way towards helping this City differentiate itself from all those cookie-cutter communities out west in suburban (unincorporated) Lake Worth.

And. . . what better way to let everyone know our City has a Beach?

Or do you have a better or more interesting idea for our City’s new name like “Jewel” or perhaps “Jewell”?

*Please Note: The “Lake Worth, Florida” Wikipedia page is a public page and includes information that is completely false and intentionally misleading. So please do you own research and verify information, for example, misleading and false data about the crime rate in this City.

Monday, October 8, 2018

But is Christopher Columbus the “Father of America”? The debate continues. Learn more about that topic below.

About this video:

Learn about Christopher Columbus and his explorations. Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 to discover a western route to Asia, but discovered the Americas by mistake. The United States now celebrates Columbus Day each year in honor of the discovery of the Americas.

There are some who are not happy with Columbus Day being celebrated. They would prefer the day be in honor of indigenous peoples instead. Which begs some questions: What would you then call the Columbus Day Sale at Macy’s? Change the name of the capital of Ohio to what? So many questions.

But as to the question, is Christopher Columbus the Father of America?

Some of you may remember this TV personality:

The controversy continues. And FYI: The United States of America is now two hundred and forty-two years old.

Please Take Note:Stay tuned for big news from Sir Ritz.

The 2018–2019 Beach Bonfire Season is
coming up soon at Lake Worth Beach. Stay tuned for the news from Sir Eddie Ritz, the senior correspondent at The Palm Beach Post’s TGIF Bureau. For more information about the Beach Bonfires click on this link for Sir Ritz’s news from last year.

When was the last time you took a stroll in our little vibrant Downtown? Learn more about the Food Truck Invasion using this link. And please note. . .

Stay tuned for the official announcement.

Following the Food Truck Invasion tomorrow the next event will be on Friday, October 26th. Then going forward the Food Truck Invasion in this City will switch to the last Friday of every month. Please help and spread the word!

Thank You Everyone!

As you’ll learn more about below, there is still some confusion about Halloween Day and Día de los Muertos. Although both events are within days of each other they are vastly different events as you will discover below. Halloween is coming up on Wednesday, October 31st and the Day of the Dead is the following Saturday, on November 3rd.

One can see that fashion and accessories are very important and waiting until the last minute to make a shopping trip to World Thrift is not a good idea. Starting this week World Thrift will become very busy especially with all the Snowbirds returning as well. The store is located at 2425 N. Dixie Hwy. in Lake Worth and doors open at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Lines form early so be prepared for that.

Learn more about World Thrift at the end of this blog post.

Día de los Muertos in L-Dub*is everyone’s festival.

Shiny Sheet reporter Carla Trivino explains whyDía de los Muertos is so popular a little later.

If you were thinking about becoming a sponsor or a vendor for this year’s festival you should act quickly. Contact Emily Theodossakos,
LULA’s Marketing Program Manager at 561-493-2550 or by email: etheodossakos@lakeworth.org

Below are two excerpts from news published in The Palm Beach Post last year about this signature event in our City. But since then there is new news to report from the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA) and LULA Lake Worth Arts.

The “Day of the Dead” originated in Central and South America but has taken on new significance here in this City of Lake Worth. The annual festival celebrates and honors human life from all parts of the globe and every continent. Lake Worth is indeed a “Welcoming City” and has been for a very long time. However, just recently the nearby city of West Palm Beach declared themselves a ‘Welcoming City’ as well.

Carla Trivino is a Mundo Hispánico reporter who also works at the Palm Beach Daily News (aka, “Shiny Sheet”). Trivino “covers fashion, while assisting society editor Shannon Donnelly in covering social and charity events on the island [the Town of Palm Beach].” To follow Trivino on Twitter click on this link.

Trivino penned what is arguably the best and most definitive news about the Lake Worth CRA’s annual Festival of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), what’s been referred to as “a festival like no other in South Florida”. The big news about this year’s festival is the addition of Viva La Vida honoring “the Souls of Children” in preparation for the Day of the Dead. Viva La Vida begins on October 20th and concludes with Día de los Muertos on Saturday, November 3rd.

For some reason there is still some confusion about Halloween and Día de los Muertos and maybe that comes from cultural and language differences. But here in Central Palm Beach County — because of the popularity of the “Day of the Dead” — there are no longer any misconceptions about these two annual events in the Fall [FYI: Halloween is in October.Over a month later is the annual festival of Día de los Muertos].

Following Día de los Muertos last year Trivino interviewed the creative director of the festival, Jose R. Mendez and below are two excerpts from that article published in November 2017: , which starts off with, “About 3,000 people took to the streets of downtown Lake Worth to celebrate their deceased loved ones. . .”:

Mendez [creative director Jose Mendez at CRA] wanted the Day of the Dead celebration to be as original as possible, so he traveled to Mexico for inspiration. He described their celebration as the French Quarter times 10 [emphasis added; referencing downtown New Orleans] and wanted to bring that passion to Florida. He paired up with local commissioner Andy Amoroso [now Vice Mayor], LULA Lake Worth and the Lake Worth CRA, who helped provide over $14,000 in grant money for the event. “I’m fortunate to work with people that are as passionate as I am,” Mendez said. The organizers gave Mendez a lot of creative freedom. He was able to teach an altar workshop and exhibit the final products at the event. The altars or “ofrendas [offerings]” represented various countries like Guatemala, Mexico, Bolivia, Belize, Brazil and Puerto Rico. He said Hispanic countries tend to have some form of celebration of the dead even though they may not have the same name.

and. . .

Mendez hopes the event keeps expanding. He wants to include West Coast artists for an authentic feel and more workshops for the community, including one for kids to learn about the significance of this holiday. “There’s still a big misconception between Halloween and the Day of the Dead,” he [Mendez] said.

Please take note:

Please start making plans now for all the upcoming festivities this Fall such as Halloween and the “Day of the Dead”.

One of biggest considerations this Fall will be clothing and accessories. And that’s a very big reason why you should start your preparations now by shopping at the famous and fashionable World Thrift located at 2425 N. Dixie Hwy. For more information about Senior Citizen Day (every Wednesday), the hours of operation, and Hipster fashion ideas at World Thrift click on this link.

*The term “L-Dub” originated in The Palm Beach Post. For more information click on this link.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Briefly, before we proceed, let’s deal with the latest myth about this City of Lake Worth. The latest mantra is something happened “about twenty years ago” to dramatically change the demographics in this City. Hogwash.Quite cogently, the demographics in the City of Lake Worth began to change 50–60 years ago when the ‘elites’ — e.g., former elected leaders, professionals and former leadership in the community and neighborhoods — abandoned this City in droves to places west like the Great Walled City of Atlantis and other places out near the Everglades. One of those places would later be called the Village of Wellington. If one wants to trace the devastation to the environment in western Palm Beach County one can blame it squarely on what was called “the White Flight”. Read more about that below.So the next time you hear someone say this City changed “about twenty years ago”, you can say, “B■■■■■■t”.

Without further ado, what to expect by 2025 when Palm Beach County and this City of Lake Worth become “Majority Minority”.

Or, because of Hurricane Maria, will it be in 2024? It’s important to remember. . .

“People are drawn to the City by its independent character, acceptance
of different cultures and lifestyles . . . The City is the geographic and artistic center of Palm Beach County.”—From City of Lake Worth’s official website.

Palm Beach County, in the next 6–7 years, is highly likely to become “majority minority”; the only real question is when.

Palm Beach Post reporter Mahima Singh projected in July 2017 this would happen in 2025 (more about that below). What Singh didn’t count on was Hurricane Maria two months later in September 2017, a major storm that devastated the Caribbean. Maria changed everything and is already changing the demographics and politics here in South Florida as more and more professionals with the means (e.g., teachers, engineers, law enforcement) abandon the islands in that region.

For the vast majority of residents here in the City of Lake Worth our
cultural diversity is something to celebrate, but that wasn’t always the
case as you’ll read about below. Now our City embraces changing
demographics and most understand this will make our City stronger, more
vibrant, and a more exciting place to live.

Shortly after Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean was when the true impact on the future demographics in the State of Florida and in South Florida became clear. Just a few weeks after Maria there was news from journalist Alex Leary at the Tampa Bay Times not-so-subtly suggesting that cities need to prepare, and very quickly, for another major shift in demographics:

Experts at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York estimate that more than 300,000 Puerto Ricans could leave the island in the next two years, and Florida would likely attract many.

By 2025, the county’s [Palm Beach County] white population is on pace to fall below 50 percent for the first time. As of July 2016, whites made up 56 percent of the county’s 1.44 million
residents, a drop from 60 percent in 2010. Hispanics made up 21.5
percent while growing at a 23 percent clip since 2010. Blacks, growing
at an 18 percent pace, represented 18.3 percent of the county’s
population.

Before we go forward, let’s go back.

The City of Lake Worth, since its founding 105 years ago, has been largely a white majority. But the demographics began to change in the late 1950s and early 1960s when many of the wealthy, well-to-do, and upper middle class whites, not pleased about the growing population of minorities, moved further west into Central Palm Beach County (CPBC).

Just one of those relics from 50–60 years
ago is the City of Atlantis. The founders built big walls to protect themselves and those walls remain in place today.

But for many others — when Congress Ave. wasn’t far enough away from the inner cities and ‘crime!’ (the big myth that persists over the decades despite the facts) — they packed up and kept going further west, past Military Trail draining more and more ‘swamp’, building new roads and communities for themselves and destroying even more of the Florida Everglades.

Now, the ironic twists of history. . .

In one ironic twist — the children of the childrenof those people who abandoned our City 50–60 years ago
— now young artists and professionals and Millennials with families — are now searching
feverishly for a home in our vibrant and wonderful City. The cry now is “Eastward Ho!”

What happened 50–60 years
ago was not unique to the City of Lake Worth. It happened all across the country and was even given a name, “The White Flight”. Sixty years later one can still see the devastation as the inner cities and urban areas were abandoned by the well-to-do in the majority and even more of the fragile Everglades was devastated as a result.

The other ironic twist is we’re now in a “Housing Crisis!” Why? Because when we should have been building more housing in coastal Central Palm Beach County, 10–20 years ago, the NIMBYs were firmly in control in every city and town:

“Imagine a grocery store is proposed in your community that will redevelop a vacant retail site. The developer is well known and respected and promises major site improvements and community amenities. On a Tuesday night, a public hearing is held at Town Hall by the Planning Board or the City Council to get public input prior to voting on the developer's application. Who shows up and makes their voices heard? Not the supporters. While the vast majority of residents may fully support the project and welcome it to their community, the hearing is packed with those who vigorously oppose it.”